Critter Detectives

Tech arrived a little outside of the time frame requested for the inspection. After listening to what our problem was, a strong skunk odor outside our front door, he walked around our house looking for evidence of a lair. He asked some questions concerning the odor and whether or not we had actually seen the skunk hanging around. After I answered the questions he checked a few more places on our property then came back and told me that he did not think we had a skunk living on the property. He then gave me a few ideas for making the house skunk proof and things I could do to make it less desirable for the animal to frequent the area. He told me if the odor continued or if evidence of habitation were discovered we could apply the inspection fee to any further calls for the next thirty days. I would not hesitate to use this company again.

They were excellent. They came out right away. They came several times.

In January/February timeframe we noticed a hole in the crownmolding on the outside of the house between 2nd and 3rd floors. We also noticed squirrel activity on the roof and the tree in the proximity of the hole. In early June I called Critter Detectives to come and take a look. Lou came the next day to set up the traps on the roof. He set up 2 traps (baited) on the roof right above the hole. Within the same day there were already 2 squirrels that got caught. After we noticed the animals we called the company to come and remove them. They came the next day (they guarantee the same day if you call before 9am). Lou took the 2 traps with squirrels and installed 2 new ones. He explained that the two squirrels that got caught so far were babies - 3months old who were probably breeded in the hole. He then put paper in the hole to monitor if there is any more activity in or out of the hole. That day we had another squirrel in the cage, which was removed the day after, and then another squirrel 2 days later. After last visit the paper was intact so Lou temporarily covered the hole with a wire net. He also recommended his brother's company to do a permament fix. Also, on the first visit he noticed another hole at the tip of the 3rd floor and put paper to see if there was any activity (which there was not, hole just needed to be fixed). There was also a bird that got caught in the cage which Lou just removed. Overall they charge $90 for initial setup fee of traps and then $50 dollars per animal (no charge for the bird) and $20 to do a temporary fix on the hole. Lou was very professional, answered all the questions and seemed to know a lot about the animals and the process of removing them. The whole process took less than a week.

Response was great, everyone on the phone and in person was helpful and professional. They were able to be flexible when I was out of town in leaving the traps up a few more days, even resulting in another catch of one of the raccoon we had seen earlier near our roof. Only issue I have is the coupon. The Angies List coupon states 10% off animal removal. When I asked to use the coupon, they said that it is only 10% off the initial call out, which is $95. So instead of a $45 discount, I only got a $10 discount. Its only a $35 difference, but Its the principle that I'm upset at. If you say 10% off, well, its 10% off. They said they would fix the terminology on the coupon, but I still cant help but feel cheated slightly. When I tell my wife about this I'm sure Ill hear an earful from her on this as well. :) I would of expected an "A" rated company to honor the coupon as stated. Other then that, everything went great. They did what they said they would do, and the price was reasonable. As of August 13, 2009 they still have not credited my account or refunded the difference from the coupon.

I met with Lou on 2/14/2008. He was very professional and quickly located how the squirrels were getting into our attic. He set traps and then recommended getting our soffits and gutters replaced because the rotten wood was providing a very easy entrance for the squirrels. We followed his advice and our attic has been squirrel free every since.

Responded promptly to my initial call. Patiently explained the process and was completely honest about the fate of the raccoons we were trapping. They placed a trap on my roof with bait. I called when an animal was trapped and they came quickly to remove it and set a new trap until all the raccoons were gone. He then arranged for his brother or brother-in-law to come fix my destroyed soffits. That work was done in one day and so far, no problems.

I called around and Critter Detectives prices are about the same or cheaper than their competitors. Lou was able to come out the next day. He installed the traps, and we got our first squirrel the next morning. I called Lou and his guys came out and got it a few hours later. That's pretty much how it worked, we would call (and Lou always answers his phone) and someone would come and remove the animals, after a few days of no activity, Lou removed the traps and patched up the hole. He was very cleat that it was temporary measure and we would need to have someone do a more permanent fix. Overall, very happy with the service. No more squirrels.

I feel like this service is completely overpriced; I also felt like the trap stayed longer than it needed to, at our expense. We live on a wooded lot, so there are going to be squirrels on the roof; the paper didn't move from the hole, so we knew there were no more inside (also we hear them and there weren't any in there), yet they stated that "the paper moved a little" so the trap should remain. Also interesting - the same company (same guy) actually did the same thing at the house a couple of years ago (different owner arranged it), so he already knew where the hole was without me telling him. He had put in a "repair" a couple of years ago which the squirrels apparently chewed through.

Lou is great! He is very prompt, professional, knowledgeable and courteous. His technique for removal is humane and very effective. I thought the cost of services was very reasonable relative to work performed.

We was very happy with Critter Detectives from start to finish. Lou took the time we needed to explain the process in detail to us and was very patient and thorough. I also felt that pricing was extremely fair. If the team were to come out and determine that we needed to call pest control(if we had rats rather than squirrels)the cost of his visit would have been significantly lowered. Beyond the initial cost, we were only charged if a critter was caught rather than for each check. We also appreciated the consistent follow up and communication.

They checked to make sure the animal was outside not in. They set a trap to attempt to trap the skunk. We have trapped two other animals at this point but, not the skunk. I am overall satisfied with the experience.

It has gone very well to date. We are installing a new vent this weekend and that should stop the problem we have been having.

They came out and came to the conclusion that we didn't have animals for him to trap. Advised us what to do to take care of the problem and only charged us $45.00 which is half the full service call amount.

Pleasant & professional. Lou set & baited the traps & came back twice to remove the trapped squirrels. Came back a third time to patch the holes.

Lou answered my calls or return calls very promptly. This is especially important since I had a worried tenant with a squirrel in his apartment. Lou was onsite within an hour when it was warranted. Not only did he do a great job of catching the squirrel in the apartment setting traps, but he also was very reassuring when communicating to the tenant that lived in the unit. Lou proved to me that he knows this business well, is responsive, and handles worried people well. I would strongly recommend him.

Our experience was super. Professionals in every way.

Fine - they were able to come on the day we chose (within a few days of the call) and arrived during the prearranged time window. Very professional and did all work as promised, and provided documentation of the work as the village had requested. The price for the cap seemed a little high initially, but it was a custom size (like everything on our property!). That was also the only reason the second visit was required; if it had been a standard size he could have installed it on the first visit. We've never dealt with anything like this before, however, and that may be a typical and/or reasonable price.

Discovered we had squirrels in the attic-they came-trapped them, took them away promptly and then fixed up the area so that they wouldn't return.

We were very happy with their service. However, they told us that they only install the protective screening on Sundays. We made an appointment for the next Sunday. They placed bricks and newspaper in the access areas under the porch to determine whether there were more raccoons leaving and entering. After a few days even though there was no movement of the bricks and papers, they continued setting traps, and we continued trapping raccoons. We feel we paid for trapping 2 raccoons that were just passing by and not under the porch. When we questioned this, they said that the contract stated we'd be charged for each raccoon trapped. Also, they showed up unannounced on Saturday at 4pm to install the screening. We were expecting company at 5 pm, but we let them do their work because we wanted the screening installed and the traps take away so we wouldn't have to pay for any more animals.

Lou responded promptly to my call and set up a time to put in the trap. He showed up on time and installed the trap quickly. He was exceptionally patient with all my questions and took time to explain everything. Each morning, I would check the trap and if there was a raccoon inside, I called and left a message and the animal was removed promptly. Over the next 2 weeks the trap caught three of the four raccoons. Since the fourth raccoon was a baby, it seemed pretty safe to assume that he had either run into some trouble surviving without his mother or had abandoned the family nest. Once we were satisfied that the raccoons were gone, Lou scheduled his brother and a small crew to come repair the soffits that had been destroyed. Lou's brother showed up on time and they worked all morning in the blazing sun to complete the job. They were nice and professional and the work looks solid. The estimate he had given me to repair the soffits ($1,050) was exactly what he charged me. The whole experience was trouble free and painless. Both Lou and his brother are nice, professional and honest.

All in all, a completely painless process.

It went well. The technician made a recommendation on how to put some wire around the base of the tree so the critters can not dig into it. I did this and have not seen the skunk since. I would prefer to just keep them away rather than put bait out and capture every critter in town at $50 each.

There was a dead mouse that I removed from a small opening myself. Lou was very responsive, pleasant and knowledgeable. He thoroughly explained what they would do and how much it would cost. He did not pressure me into using their service; rather he gave me an opportunity to assess the situation using the information he provided and encouraged me to call if I had any additional questions or needed their services. Although we did not use the company for this incident, I would not hesitate to call in the future if I encounter an animal problem again.

They placed two cages on the roof, that were there for approximately 2 months. We caught 8 squirrels. After they were satisfied that no more squirrels were in the house, they closed up the hole with mesh and removed the traps. We were billed for $545, but were able to negotiate a payment amount of $400. They came weekly to check the traps, also they came as soon as possible if a squirrel was caught. An overall positive working experience

Lou arrived on time and got right to work assessing the situation and removing the nest from my vent from both inside and outside my home. When he entered he was very courteous and removed his shoes. When Lou was finished he put the cover over my vent. He could not remove the bird because it had moved beyond the vent was somewhere between the floors of my home. He gave me an additional discount over the one listed for being a member of Angie's List because he wasn't able to release the bird. He also accommodated my work hours by coming in the evening. I highly recommend this company to anyone who has a critter problem.